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Hardly Strictly Sanity

Submitted by Jack on

I just can't do it, and perhaps never again. I attended the first 8 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festivals in Golden Gate Park and have many times sung the praise of Warren Hellman and his glorious event. But we barely survived #7, and we peaked at #8 with access-passes (thank you BAD LIVERS!!)

They are predicting 750,000 attendees this year, and I don't think it's an underestimate. It's simply too much humanity for us to deal with, so this will be the 3rd year I'll miss it.

Just for shits and giggles, I'm going to create an imaginary itinerary here in case I was kuh-razy enough to go. And I'm going to be realistic. Gone are the days when you can navigate between stages to cherry pick your shows like a smorgasbord. Unless you are 6 1/2 feet tall and don't mind bumming out other people, your best bet is to pick a spot and stick with it. Read more about Hardly Strictly Sanity

What's going on with the America's Cup?

Submitted by Jack on

example of tv graphics from plymouth world series

America's Cup 34 has already started. Remember those two zippy Oracle catamarans cruising the bay this summer? Teams Spithill and Coutts (my kids love to say koootz) have already raced at World Series events in Cascais, Portugal and Plymouth, England - which just concluded. Next up is San Diego in early November.

We've been watching Live From Europe with our morning oatmeal via youtube.com/americascup. Once you start to "get" it... it really gets entertaining. It's all about teamwork and technology! They are working very hard to appeal to a wider tv audience that knows little about sailing with the assistance of precision GPS, onboard cameras, helicopters, and computer graphics by Stan Honey, the same guy who brought us the 10 yard line in football, the hockey halo, NASCAR's RACEf/x, and baseball's PITCHf/x, among other triumphs.

We watched fleet races, where all 9 teams compete at the same time, and match races where they face off in duals to win the bracket. So far in the total standings, Emirates Team New Zealand is in 1st place followed by Oracle-Spithill (Spithill is the captain), Oracle-Coutts (koootz!) in 3rd, Sweden's Artemis Racing, and Team Korea in 5th. Watching Team Korea blossom in the final days of Plymouth was the biggest thrill at our house. Maybe we are just real keen on the white tiger graphics, but it was huge fun watching them emerge. Read more about What's going on with the America's Cup?

Best Deals on Hardwood Flooring in the Bay Area

Submitted by Jack on

WholeWood.com

An old client of mine recently started up a new company over on the peninsula that sells hardwood flooring. I've been helping to promote his flooring styles on Craigslist and wow… what a completive market! Most times I post an ad, it's flagged and deleted within an hour or two. Other ads stick around long enough to keep renewing although they aren't much different. I'm very careful about sticking to the rules so it's frustrating that it keeps happening.

Well… my friend Victor is definitely the man to see for good deals on hardwood flooring. And unlike his previous business, they also offer full installation. WholeWood.com is centrally located in San Carlos to serve everyone from San Jose and San Francisco to Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Burlingame, Millbrae, and Redwood City. He says he gets a lot of visitors from Sacramento too but not so many from the East Bay (where I am.) Read more about Best Deals on Hardwood Flooring in the Bay Area

Chinese Junk 4 Sale

Submitted by Jack on

ClassicTeakWoodChineseJunk4sale.com

Great opportunity for a live-aboard in San Francisco Bay. This boat is an absolute classic with completely rebuilt engine and rewords teak wood throughout. It's currently docking at Jack London Square in Oakland. Imagine how much fun you could have taking your friends out to watch the America's Cup races.

Check the website for interior and exterior photos and specifications. If you buy it... and you learned of it here... want to take The Boegers out on the bay to watch some racing? Read more about Chinese Junk 4 Sale

So much for our winter Yosemite plans

Submitted by Jack on

(sfgate.com) Rock threat danger closes part of Yosemite lodging
(youtube) Yosemite by bike in 2 minutes, 16 seconds
View from our yosemite tent cabin

We had such a great time staying at Curry Village this past summer that we booked winter cabins the moment we returned home. So much for that! The cabins are being closed PERMANENTLY (along with many of the tents) due to large, falling rocks. Read more about So much for our winter Yosemite plans

HARDLY STRICTLY 8 - Sure to be a Barnes Burner!!

Submitted by Jack on

This year's lineup is stellar as usual. Saturday is a barnburner and Sunday is ALSO a barnburner. Or should I say Barnes Burner because Mr. Danny Barnes has the potential to play w/ 5 or 6 acts.

FRIDAY NIGHT FRUMP

T Bone Burnett again brings a band, but this time w/ unknowns such as Robert Plant and a fiddler named Alison Krauss. Nothing to see here!

SPECIAL SATURDAY RECIPE

I'm just skipping the banjo stage altogether. I can hear Steve Earle rant some other time. Read more about HARDLY STRICTLY 8 - Sure to be a Barnes Burner!!

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